Editorial

by Peter Biľak
(503 words)

Bhutan is an inspiration for developed countries, but also leapfrogging traditional industrialised powers in a number of areas.

For the greater part of its history Bhutan was one of the most isolated countries in the world. The small Himalayan kingdom started to attract international attention in the early 1970s when Jigme Singye Wangchuck came to power as the fourth king of Bhutan and introduced the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH). Since then GNH has become an integral part of the philosophy underlying the country’s development, a foundational idea mentioned in most official communications. Bhutan takes its people’s happiness seriously, but is not necessarily the happiest country in the world.

In terms of economic development, Bhutan is one of the world’s smallest economies. It serves, however, as a brilliant example for other developing countries, proof that economic progress need not come at the expense of cultural heritage and natural resources. Bhutan’s very constitution dictates that at least 60% of its land area must remain forested in perpetuity, and it is the world’s only carbon-negative country, its vast woods absorbing more carbon than the kingdom produces.

Bhutan is also an inspiration for developed countries, taking advantage of its small size to leapfrog traditional industrialised powers in a number of areas. The country provides free education and healthcare to all its citizens and is testing the use of drones to deliver medical supplies to remote areas. It was the first country to ban the sale of tobacco products. It plans to eliminate chemical fertilisers and pesticides and make all of its agriculture 100% organic within a decade.